Firebox



W. L. BEAN ET AL March 19, 1929.

FIREBOX Filed Oct. 21, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 19, 1929. w Q ET AL 1,706,376

FIREBOX Filed Oct. 21, 1925 3 sheets-Sheet 2,

Iuveniors:

Bean, Vincenill. Jones,

March 19, 1929. w E T AL 1,706,376

FIREBOX Filed Oct. 21, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Invewiow's: Wa'ZZ iaiaL. Beau, VincjeuiL. Jones,

y 1 w y Patented Mar. 19, 1 29.

STATES PATENT OFFICE..."

WILLIAM L. BEAN, 0F WESTHAVEN, AND VINCENT L. JONES, on NEW HAVEN, CON- NECTIGUT, AssIGNoRs TO MCCLELLON LOCOMOTIVE BOILER COMPANY, 013 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS. t

FIREBOX.

Application filed 0ctober 21, 1925, Serial- No. 63,877.

Thisinvention relates to fireboxes of locomotives and the object, is to provide an improved construction for a firebox of the water tube type.

Our invention willv be more readily understood by reference to the following description of an illustrative embodiment thereof shown by way. of example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: 1 Fig.1 is a side elevation of a-firebox;

I Fig. 2fis a rear end elevation thereof but with thelwall tubes omittedforclearness;.

E box tubes of any structuralioads otherthan and . Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the wall tubes but omitting the bracing.

. Ourinven'tion. relates to, fireboxes wherein the water-containing walls are constructed of tubes as distinguished from spaced sheets and the particular form illustrated has many features of similarity to the construction shown in Patent No.- 1,248,356, dated Nov.

27, 1917, to James M. McClellon, and may be considered a development and improvement of'the firebox disclosedin said patent.

Referring to the drawings," we have there shown a firebox comprising a foundation chamber 5 which may be-formed of a hollow steel casting. or mud ring of general U shape,

the arms of the U entering a throat chamber 7 ,and a crown chamber'which may comprlse a-Icentral-y cylindrical drum 9 and lateral drums 11, these drums having opposed {fiattened sides whichfit together in inwardly w and downwardly converging planes so that the drum 9 seats between the other. two-in qjthefjmanner of a keystone.

The forward ends of the crown drums communicate with .thebarrel of the boiler and they may be supported adjacent. their forward ends by an extension 13 of the barrel shell substantiallyas in the patent referred to..

- The side walls of the firebox maybe coinposed of thinwalled cylindrical tubes 15 set .sideby l side substantially in contact and the arms of the foundation chamber 5 and h the sides of drums 11. The rear wallof the firebox (see Fig. 3)' may also be defined by i having thei-rends entering and expanded in a plurality of tubes 17, conveniently some- Lwhatsmaller in" section and somewhat more widely spaced than'the side wall tubes, ex

tending generally between the, cross member of; the foundation chamber 5" and the,

openin crown drums. The tubes enter substantially perpendicularly the, surfaces with which theyconnect and in the caseof the; crown drums this implies a. radial presentation. ,As indicated in Fig. 3,.the upper. ends of To support thecrown and relieve the .fire' those occasionedby reason of their containmg hot waterunder pressure and to provide a desirable rigidity in the firebox to (resist the racking strains incident to the passage of thelocomotive over the road while relieving, the tubes and their connections of the damaging effects of such strains, weprovide for supporting the-crown drums from the foundation chamber 5 independently of thetubes which connect thetwo chambers.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, .we l

have herein shownfsuitable. pillars disposed at intervals around the firebox, as, for example,pillars,19 and21 at each side and pillars 231 and 25 at the rear end. Herein the with steps or brackets 27 and to thecrown drums may be secured'suitab-le bracket-like castings 29 and .31 ,by means of fittedbolts. The members27,29 and 31-as clearly shown in F ig,.2,present shoulders and lips receiv .mud ring 5vmay= have cast integrally thereing the ends oftheverticalbraces or pillars 1 such as 21 and 23, relieving the boltsof v shearing actionand preventingworking of the parts. Asbest seen i'n'Fig. 1, thebrack= I et's or fittings 31 at the rearendofthe'crown chamber may be provided with-fianges33 underriding the ends of the drums so that they provide saddle-like supports therefor.

. Referring to Fig.2, toprovide space at the rear end wall for the fire door and the like the supporting frame-workatthis end 'may comprise the lateral pillars 23 and 25 disposed atythe side'sandsupporting the be" carried by braces 85 secured to these pillars and to a bracket'37 secured tothe central drum, the function. of which is similar to the 10o lateral drumsgll and the central drum 9 may tending between the two pillars, thus leaving unobstructed a portion of the rear wall of the boiler bet-ween them.

Means are preferably provided to give horizontal stifinessto the frame-work. For this purpose (see Fig. l) the pillars 19 and 21 at the sides of the boiler maybe connected by a brace 39. A braee'plate 41may extend entirely across the back end of the firebox, as shown inFig. 2, and be secured to the pillars 23 and25, extend around the rear corners of the firebox and there be secured to the pillars 21 on either side. Re-

39 along the side may, it it is desired, be so located as to permit the attachment thereto of the usual steps at the exterior of the firebox While the plate 41, whichis preterab-ly constructed as shown as a wide-encircling belt, may support the ma ority oi the important cab fittings or'loc'omotive acces f sories which are customarily applied in the backhead re ion of the firebox. Thus. re-

ferring to Fig. 2, the central portion of the plate maybe provided with an opening constituting'a fire door opening and thelire' door and the fire door screen may be can ried on the plate 41 rather than on the tubes" of the back head. We have also illustrated openings 45 which may receive the distributor tubes of an automatic stoker, such a stoker being indicated at 46 in Fig. 1 in dotted lines. Examples oi other fittings which may be carried by the plate 41 are theair brake and valve control equipment, the injector-fittings for the inside injector, the

stoker control mechanism, miscellaneous small valves and fixtures and the holders for Oll cans and tools.

Referring te -Fi 3, in the embodiment-of the IDVGIltlOIl; shown; the backhead tubes at'the sides extend uninterrupted between the drums 11 and the foundation chamber 5. In

the central part of the back wall the tubes extend from the crown drum to a fire door frame which may" comprise two large lateral tubes 147 connected by a header 49 to iorm the top of the firebox and opening at their lower ends into a box-like chamber 51 erected on the foundation chamber 5. The opening defined by this-structure registers with the opening 43 in the plate 41 shown in Fig. 2

and in Fig. 2 we have illustrated an opening 53' through thisplate'to give access to the wash-out plug 55 in the header 49. To provideopeningsthrough the wall fined by the rear tubes 17 to give access to the firebox space we have illustrated a construction which herein provides for the application of the stokers but which, of course, may have a different application. Referring to Fig. 3, certain of the tubes 17 may be bent laterally between their ends as indicated at 57, these and adjacent tubes'being suitably bent lengthwise of the boiler to permit this transverse displacement to be effected in the most convenient manner.

By this bending an opening through the tubular wall is defined providing-access to the interior of the firebox. in the present embodiment of the invent-ion these openings register with the openings 45 in the plate 41 and since through this plate 41 provision is made for the attaehment and support of the mechanism utilizing'the opening through the firebox wall (in this instance the automatic stoker) the provision of this opening by deflection or displacement of the tubes in the manner illustrated is most practical. It will be noted that it involves no additional joints or connections andthe'mountmg of no fittingsifor attachments on the tubes themselves.

"We have described in detail the particular embodiment of our invention which is shown by way 01'? example in the accompanying drawings. Obviously, however this is shown by way of illustration merely and the principles of construction exemplified thereby may beembodied in widely different mechanical'iorins'without departing from the spirit: oi our invention. What we claimas new and desire "to secure by Letters Patent'we shall express in the following claims.

Claims: a 1. A. locomotive firebox 1 comprising a crown chamber and a foundation chamber, a frame-work for supporting the former from the latter independentlyot the water-containing walls of the firebox, and wallscoms prising tubes extending between the chambers, said tramesworlrincluding-as a part. thereof a" plate extending across the rear fittings as, for example, the'fi re door.

g 2. A' locomotive firebox' comprising a crown chamber, a toundatlonchamber, walls :wall of the firebox and providing for the support independently of the tubesoflfcab of tubes connecting the same, opposedbrac'l'e I bracket,crown drums having. brackets secured thereto, water-containing wall tubes betweensaid ring andd'rums and" pillars interposed between the brackets to carry the drums from the mud ring independently of the tubes.

4. locomotive 5 M? 0 the water tube type comprising a foundation chamber and a crown chamber, laterally disposed pillars at the rear of the firebox supporting the lateral portions of the crown chamber from the'foundation chamber, a girder between the pillars-supporting the central portion of the crown chamber and a plate connecting the pillars and providing a support for cab fittings.

5. A locomotive firebox comprising a foundation chamber, a crown chamber and Walls of tubes, upright pillars at intervals about the sides of the firebox to support the 6. In a locomotive boiler a firebox comprising'a crown chamber and a foundation chamber and Walls of water-containing tubes extending therebetween, said crown chamber supported at its forward end by the barrel shell, fittings at the rear end of the crown names to this specification.

' WILLIAM'L. BEAN.

VINCENT L. JONES. 

